Oven-Baked Sea Bream with Onion and Tomatoes

How to prepare oven-baked sea bream with onion and tomatoes

1. Clean the sea bream and then dry it with kitchen towels. Make 3-4 cuts across the width of the fish on one side. Season the sea bream generously with salt on all sides, including in the cuts and inside.
2. Cut the tomato in half and then slice into not-too-thick slices. Arrange some tomato slices on the sea bream, starting from the first cut to the tail. Sprinkle a little salt on the tomatoes.
3. Peel and slice the onion into thin slices or half-moons. Sprinkle with salt and massage a little with your hand until slightly softened. Heat a pan and add 2-3 tablespoons of oil. Sauté the onion briefly, grinding black pepper and sprinkling fennel seeds, just until the onion is slightly soft (about 5 minutes). At the end, add the finely chopped parsley and fennel and stir.
   Ideally use a pan that fits the fish and is oven-safe (I used a 28 cm diameter pan). If not, transfer the sautéed onion to a heat-resistant dish that fits the fish.
4. Gather the onion in the center of the pan to form a bed for the fish. Arrange tomato slices in the center. Place the sea bream on the tomatoes. Gather the onion again so as much as possible goes under the fish. Pour 2 tablespoons of oil over the sea bream. Pour 3 tablespoons of water into the pan along the edge.
6. Bake at 250°C (480°F) for 20 minutes. Check that the fish is done. If the onion and tomato on top don't look nicely browned, turn on the oven broiler for a few minutes, but don't leave the oven unattended so it doesn't burn.
7. Transfer the fish to a platter. Pour the vinegar into the pan and shake well to mix into the sauce. Place the vegetables next to the fish, drizzling the sauce from the vegetables over the sea bream. If you see some burnt onion bits on the edges, you can remove them. This can happen because the temperature is high and the tips of the onion can burn. But there's plenty underneath so you'll have enough for the fish.
8. Serve like this at the table—it looks great on a platter. But being a sea bream for 2 people, you'll debone it (first remove the head and tail, then remove the spine). Open the fish like a book with the skin down and put the vegetables on top. It's good with a little polenta.
   * Yesterday I remade this recipe; after deboning the fish, I put the vegetables inside it; I packed it for work and it was great at room temperature too.

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